On Saint Patrick’s Day, Ireland and the Irish are centre stage around the world. This year coincides with Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It coincides too with an ongoing process of national recovery and renewal. Part of that wider process involves examination and exhumation as well as exuberance and celebration. That is a key role of the arts in a society.

It is apt that we remember and unceasingly repeat that the arts are central to our identity, to the face we show abroad and the face we study in the mirror at home. Ireland’s artists are among the most striking, singular voices that speak for us and to us. Around the country and around the world Irish artists, making work with a commitment that far exceeds in value the monetary support they receive, relentlessly interrogate and represent our identity.

The role of the Arts Council is to support artists in the work they make and the vocation they follow. We are doing this continually through flexible schemes and awards. The Council has now signed off on decisions for Touring 2012 (Round 2) and the new Programme Activity Fund in Young People, Children and Education and Street Art and Spectacle. The latter saw applications being funded from organisations who are being awarded funding by the Arts Council for the first time. In difficult circumstances new seeds are being planted and new beginnings made. Our intention for this new fund is to support aspects of programming that engages a broad range of participants and audiences across art forms.

In the Arts Council there is an extraordinary sense of what is being done by artists and arts organisations across the county. There is a continuing flow of creative ideas to make and articulate work that shouts aloud, that is sublimely silent and that in myriad ways speaks movingly of the role of the artist. The work of art goes on.

Yours sincerely,

Orlaith McBrideDirector

1. Culture Connects – update on the EU Presidency culture programmeAs part of this, the Arts Council has co-ordinated a programme of over 90 contemporary arts events and projects, which all connect artists and citizens in Ireland with artists and communities elsewhere in Europe.
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2. Tender for Commissioner Venice Architecture Biennale 2014

The Arts Council and Culture Ireland are committed to Ireland's participation in the Venice Architecture Biennale, with the aim of increasing opportunities for and the profile of Irish architects abroad.

4. Deis Recording Award (Traditional Arts) 2013The Traditional Arts Team wishes to advise that applications will be accepted for the Deis Recording Award from Thursday 28,February 2013. The closing date will be Thursday 11,April 2013.
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5. Travel and Training Update

The Arts Council wishes to advise that from 1 March we will be unable to support further applications in Street Arts and Spectacle under the Travel and Training Award.

6. Reminder Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme Deadlines for 2013Twice yearly, the Arts Council offers grants to enable artists and communities of place/or interest to work together on contemporary collaborative arts projects.
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7. Reminder: Project awards – deadline 5.30pm Thursday 21 March 2013The Arts Council's Project awards support specific project activities under each of the above artform/arts practice areas. The award guidelines for each award are now available on the funding section of the Arts Council's website.
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8. Young Ensembles Scheme 2013The Young People, Children and Education (YPCE) Team wishes to advise that applications will be accepted for the Young Ensembles Scheme 2013 from Tuesday 19, March 2013 for projects taking place between July 2013 and June 2014.
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9. WOMEX '13 Cardiff 23-27 October - Opportunity for Traditional, Folk and Roots Musicians WOMEX has fast become the most important international professional market for world music of every kind including folk, roots, ethnic and traditional music.
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10. Arts Audience NewsApplications for Arts Audiences 2013 Audience Development Programme are open. Venues and Festivals with professional management who are funded by the Arts Council are invited to apply.
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11. News from the communityArtlinks Bursary Programme 2013 announced; Artlinks, the resource organisation in the south-east, reports that it is now accepting applications for Artlinks 2013 Bursary Awards. ArtLinks in association with the Arts Offices of the five Local Authority County Councils in Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow offer these bursaries on an annual basis for qualifying artists.
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12. International news from the Cultural Contact Point

News from the Cultural Contact Point includes: EU Survey to access the financing needs of the creative and cultural sectors. As the current 7 year EU funding framework programme for culture, the Culture Programme 2007 – 2013 is finishing up, the EU has commissioned a survey to address the financing needs of creative and cultural organizations in Europe. Deadline extension for Culture Programme Strand 1.3.5, cooperation projects with Third Countries. Ibsen Scholarships 2013;The Ibsen Scholarships awards innovative projects in the field of drama and performing arts that act as incentives for critical discourse in regards to existential and society-related subject matters concerning Henrik Ibsen and his plays. Book Labs 2013; Three separate book labs are being organised in 2013 but iDROPS (BE), Utigeverij van Toekomst (BE) and Crossover (UK) to help the book industry find new ways to develop interactive books. Selection results for Strand 2 of the EU Culture Programme now online.